After the Nursery Rhyme Ends
by Crazy PurpleSage
Summary: Life was going good. Naruto had Itachi, peace, and happiness. But, unfortunately, the 'happily ever after' doesn't end there, as Naruto soon finds out with an official letter from Konoha. Now what? -Sequel to 'I Know a Young Ninja'. ItaNaru. (See profile for update)
1. When the Heart is Where the Home Is

Well, a sequel. Who saw this coming? I certainly didn't.

So if you haven't read _**I Know a Young Ninja**_, I would advise you to do so. Otherwise this might not make sense. I promise it's worth your time.

Of course, this is for Bea! Another loving dedication to _**Imperial Mint;**_ for all intents and purposes, she owns this story, and the idea for this plot. I figure it's only fair. Though what I own is still much better, but that's a given.

Also, I want to thank my chapteriser –the same person this is dedicated to, but that just means I wanted her to read it first as it belongs to her. ;) So thank you my dear!

_So, without further ado, please read on and enjoy! _

_**After the Nursery Rhyme Ends**_

0.0.0

_When the Heart is where the Home Is_

0.0.0

_Naruto was a political tool. _

_He had known it all his life; well, since he found out about the Kyuubi and Iruka had proceeded to take him out to ramen and tell him what being the bijuu container entailed. Since that moment he had understood what was expected of him as a jinchuuriki, all the bad and the good aspects, he had been ready for it. But again, only as ready to sacrifice himself as anyone can ever be. He knew if it came to it, he wouldn't be going down without a fight. _

_But then he met Itachi. _

_Actually, better put, he found out about Itachi –the real Uchiha, not the stoking-Sasuke's-blind-rage-to kill-kill-kill version but the wrong-skills-during-the wrong-times genius who had gotten more from this world than he had ever bargained for. The latter was the one Naruto had followed to the ends of the earth, quite literally, and who Naruto has found himself happily living with these past few months. _

_That was, until he received the letter. _

0.0.0

"We need groceries," Itachi stated as he reached around inside the fridge, searching for some milk for his cereal.

"Hm?" Naruto looked up from crunching on his own bowl of dry granola and corn flakes, his mouth full as he continued to munch while looking up at Itachi.

A small smile of amusement quirked at Itachi's lips, no doubt he could just imagine the scene in front of him without actually seeing.

"Food. We're running low."

"Oh," Naruto caught up; setting down his bowl to the side for now. "Where do you normally get groceries?"

Itachi closed the fridge and joined Naruto at the table, taking a handful out of the forgotten bowl and dropping a bi of the mixture into his mouth.

"In town; not a half a day's walk from here." Itachi brushed his bare feet against the wood floor as he leaned his weight against the counter to grab another handful from Naruto's bowl.

"Not the way I came to get here, _surely_." Naruto gave a disbelieving look; surely Itachi had finally lost it breathing in this mountain air for too long now. Maybe he should get them both out before it was too late. "It took me over a day walking through this mountain to find you. And from there the town's a few days' walk away."

"You didn't know where you were going at the time, did you?" Itachi stated it so matter of fact'ly, but Naruto couldn't help but be slightly insulted at the statement.

"It's still awhile away from town." Naruto pushed away from the table and crossed his arms, muttering about ruby red slippers not appearing, nor little creatures of the forest willing to show him the way.

The smirk returned to Itachi's face, but he refrained from commenting on his partner's logic.

"There's a faster way that doesn't take as long. It's all about knowing the mountain."

Again, he made it sound so simple, but Naruto knew, _from personal experience, _that such was not the case, at all.

"If I tell you how, would you mind going? It's easier that way."

"Huh?"

It wasn't that Itachi was ever defensive about his blindness, trying to do everything and refusing any and all help from Naruto, practically the opposite in fact. He found it amusing when Naruto helped him around every corner, even though he had been living in that house by himself for months before Naruto even started having his first vision of Itachi. They both knew he was more than self-sufficient and had never explicitly asked Naruto to do _anything _for him in lieu of his lack of sight.

"While walking through the mountain is easy enough, it's the hustle and bustle of town that I prefer to avoid. Everyone stares and the crowd parts like I'm either an Augustan figurehead or the village pariah. Either way, I don't want to draw too much attention to myself; they'll notice if I keep returning every so often but don't actually live there. I want our little place to remain anonymous."

Naruto nodded with understanding, grunting in comprehension for Itachi's benefit. "Sure."

"You might want to get more cereal while you're out as well," Itachi chuckled as his hand scraped the bottom of the bowl.

"You make the list," Naruto said as he stood up, "I'll go get changed. Then you can tell me about this short cut of yours."

"Sure, make the blind man _write _a list," Naruto could hear Itachi mutter as he made his way down the hall. Laughing loud enough for Itachi to hear, Naruto slipped into the bathroom and let Itachi fend for himself. Of course Itachi, being the genius he was, had enough of a photographic memory and sense of everything around him to write an at least a slightly skewed list. Not exactly between the lines, but neat enough to be legible.

Feeling around the counter to the junk drawer for the shopping pad and a pen, Itachi began the slow process of making a grocery list. Granola, obviously. Milk, juice, tea, maybe bread, milk…

He was still hungry and there was nothing in the house to eat. How could he concentrate on making a list when all he could think about was his empty stomach? Stealing Naruto's breakfast was not enough. And Naruto couldn't make his famous eggs for him either. Why hadn't they gone shopping sooner?

Spinning the pen between his fingers, Itachi ruminated on what else could be added to the growing list.

"You done?" Naruto padded into the room with bare feet, soft fabric scratching slightly, letting Itachi know Naruto was wearing his comfortable shinobi pants.

Itachi felt Naruto draw nearer and nearer until he was breathing over his shoulder.

"I can read that. Just barely," Naruto quipped, a laugh in his voice.

Itachi just managed to swipe the back of the blond's head in retaliation as Naruto dashed out of the room, shouting about finding his coat in this breezy weather.

"So where am I going and how am I getting there?" Naruto was back in a second, coat on, as he slung his arms over Itachi's shoulders in a loose hug.

"Just out the backdoor, past the tree that looks like a giant bonsai –as you described – take a right, and then you'll find the road coming up to town."

Silence stretched on as Naruto stretched his neck forward to take a better look at Itachi's face and make sure he wasn't yanking his chain.

Itachi raised his eyebrows expectantly and waited for the inevitable.

"You serious?"

Nodding calmly, Itachi handed over the list, stuffing it in Naruto's limp hand.

"I told you, I know this forest inside and out."

Naruto slowly unwound his arms from around Itachi, still giving the other man a skeptic look. This forest was quite odd after all. It probably was constantly changing, growing, shrinking, and warping. Maybe it created nice little shortcuts for its residence that took good care of the area. Why not?

"Okay, if you say so."

Naruto finally took a step back and slipped the folded list into his coat pocket, his wallet going in his back pocket, and a burlap bag being slung around his shoulder.

Itachi smirked. "Good boy." He turned around to reach forward and pat Naruto on the head good naturedly.

Naruto shook the offending hand off with another step back. "_You're_ the one who's not getting any milk bones when I came back if you don't behave. You gotta admit those are oddly easy directions for this weird forest," he gestured to the land around him, more for his own benefit than Itachi's, of course.

Nonetheless, he walked out the door with a light step, Itachi's laughter echoing freely behind him.

The path was easy to follow and sure enough, he found the road to the village within 15 minutes. He was a virtually new face to the village, having only passed through as a traveler some months ago when looking for Itachi, and had barely stayed but an hour in search of information. So unlike Itachi, no one looked twice at the bright blond shopping for food in the market place.

Between some quick shopping and light conversation with the merchants, Naruto was done and heading back home within the hour – he always seemed to find the most interesting things to talk about with people. What was small talk for one person could be a life-changing moment of realisation for many others. But in any case, he was making his way back home with a spring in his step, despite the extra baggage he was now carrying. He expected to make it home fancy free as well, if only for the messenger hawk circling overhead as he made it to the juncture between the road and the path into the forest. And if Naruto didn't know any better, which he did, he would say that that bird belonged to Konoha.

Sure enough, once Naruto had stopped for more than a second, the hawk swooped down and alighted on his shoulder, nodding his head curtly at the scroll attached to his leg.

As Naruto gently pried the note from the hawk's foot, he took note of the fire insignia painted on the bird's back, confirming his suspicions that this message was indeed from Konoha, to him.

As soon as the bird was free, he immediately took to the skies again. Apparently Naruto wasn't expected to give a response. And once he opened and read the note he found out why.

_To Whom It May Concern, _

_Konoha is requesting the return of jounin-level shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto. After a period of six months from the village without sufficient cause of duty as executed by Konohagakure herself, the accused shinobi is required to supply a sufficient reason for the council. If such reason is passed, said shinobi may be absent from the village for a total of two years, no more, at which time said shinobi is required to return or forfeit citizenship and honour as a shinobi in the village of Konohagakure, and all of Fire Country. _

_With Best Intent, _

The Council of Konoha

He read it. He read it again. Then read it again for good measure, and then crumpled the paper in his fist.

"They have got to be kidding."

0.0.0

"That was quite a long trip to the market. Something go wrong? Did the merchant try to sell you rotten tomatoes? I had thought that was only me, trying to trick a blind man; but you never know about people these days."

Naruto stayed standing in the open doorway, too enraged in his own thoughts to even get self-righteous over the village's maltreatment of Itachi. It was amazing he had even made it home; he was definitely too far gone.

"Naruto?" Itachi stepped out from the kitchen to find the other man, only to stop in his tracks once he felt the frustrated and angry aura coming from the blond at the door. "What's wrong?"

"The fucking bastards can't leave well enough alone and have to pull back the Kyuubi for their precious egos." Naruto stormed past Itachi, dumped the bags on the kitchen counter, and slumped into a chair.

Itachi followed cautiously, sidling up behind Naruto and putting a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"I can't believe them!" Naruto stood up abruptly, effectively dislodging Itachi's hand, and stormed back out of the kitchen to start wearing holes into the living room floor as he paced furiously.

"I've never done anything but help that village and how do they repay me? Call me back with some official letter saying obey or die; ally or enemy; caged dog or lecherous traitor." Leaning his forehead against the wall, Naruto punched through the plaster by his chest and crumbled the white material in his hand into dust.

"Naruto," Itachi warned, yanking the man away from the wall and spinning him around to hold him close to Itachi's chest. "Tell me what's going on." It was a soft command, but a command none the less.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto growled into Itachi's shoulder, his voice wavering somewhere amoung anger, frustration, impatience, and despair. "I got a _missive _from Konoha," he clarified with duly noted sarcasm before thrusting the letter into Itachi's hand.

Itachi uncrumpled the note with apprehension, having a good idea of what he was about to find, but hoping they were both wrong all the same. Holding it in front of Naruto, he waited with baited breath as Naruto took a deep breath and whispered the words with a deep growl from the back of his throat.

"…With best intent, The Council of Konoha."

Itachi swallowed; his hunger had evaporated for the moment, being replaced by a swirling sickness that made even thinking about moving hurt.

"So what are you going to do?" He whispered, careful not to tighten nor loosen his hold on Naruto, as the man still had his head buried in Itachi's shoulder as was clutching his shirt for dear life. But was it a gesture of comfort in lieu of goodbye, uncertainty, or…

"Ignore it." Naruto's muffled voice did nothing to alleviate Itachi's worries or finish his hopeful thought.

"You can't –"

"The village can go on without me." Naruto lifted his head and looked up at Itachi, all seriousness written on his face, no doubt hoping that the determination would be conveyed to Itachi through other means.

"You would never be able to go back…then," Itachi turned his head away, feeling Naruto's gaze burning into his dead retinas.

"I hadn't planned on going back anyway," Naruto choked out, trying to cover the hitch in his voice by clearing his throat noisily.

"Ever?"

The question hung in the air, weighing two sets of shoulders down like they were bearing the brunt of an onerous burden.

Naruto detached himself from Itachi's hold and walked heavily to the kitchen, making to unload the bags. Itachi could hear each foot pound into the ground with all of Naruto's weight as though a giant were walking in his midst instead of a 19 year old young man.

Itachi was torn between following Naruto to help and giving his lover space.

_Bang! _

"It's just the rice," Naruto growled softly before Itachi could ask. "I got it."

Itachi's nod went unseen as he slipped out the backdoor to leave Naruto to his thoughts.

Naruto reattempted to stuff the bag of rice in the top cupboard with more success this time. Once he was free of his load, he rubbed the bridge of his nose furiously and glared down at the remaining food on the counter. It was its own fault anyway. The stupid hawk probably wouldn't have even found him in the first place if he hadn't gone food shopping. The stupid rice. Or maybe he should blame himself and Itachi for their human need to eat. Itachi was an Uchiha, why hadn't he overcome that little necessity yet? Then they could work on immortality and world peace while they were at it.

But this wasn't helping.

He had to decide. Of course when he left Konoha he hadn't really thought about going back, but at the same time, he hadn't thought about not going back either. It was an "in the moment" decision where all he knew was that he needed to find Itachi. Now it was not only giving up his possible position as Hokage, but his entire position as a shinobi and citizen of Konoha. Did he really want to take that final step and break away from his home completely? Was Itachi worth it? Of course! But that wasn't the concern. The fact was that he would never see his friends again, never be able to walk down memory lane, visit Iruka-sensei on a bad day to get some free ramen, never bug Kakashi about his porn-addiction, never heckle Sakura while she was working, and never yell at Sai for his inappropriate comments while trying to drag out a genuine smile. Never again. Was _that _worth giving up?

Of course, the other issue was that if he didn't give that up, then could he give Itachi up? Because there was no middle ground, he would have to choose.

Taking a deep breath, which he let out as slowly as possible, Naruto began unpacking the groceries once again. Better to do something methodical to take his mind off the issue for the moment.

He didn't even realise when Itachi walked back in after an hour and wrapped his arms around Naruto's frame. Naruto was obliviously sitting at the counter, invisible to the world, staring out into space at the countertop.

Itachi rested his head atop Naruto's and breathed in his scent slowly, in and out.

"I know this will only make it harder and I don't want to force your hand," Itachi started, hesitating for a moment as he took a deep breath, "But I don't want you to leave. I don't think I can live here without you."

"You're not going to pull the blind card, are you?" Naruto asked with dry humour; wrapping his hands around Itachi's arms and squeezing.

Itachi responded with equally dry laughter. They both knew he could physically take care of himself. The question would become, would he _want _to.

Naruto leaned back into Itachi's hold and closed his eyes letting the silence fall softly around them.

"I gave up the position of Hokage the moment I left the village. But what about Sasuke? I promised to bring him back," Naruto tilted his head from side to side, eyes still closed tightly. "Konoha would rather kill him and eliminate a threat than risk having an Uchiha back in the village, despite how many of the villagers still love him. But if we're both out here, who's going to protect him?"

Naruto knew they had both decided to let Sasuke lead his own life, make his own decisions, and save his own skin in the future from now on. But did either of them really mean it? That much was obvious from Itachi's lack of response.

"I mean, why else would they call me back if not to use the Kyuubi's powers or exert their control on me; pull the leash a little tighter? Even if they send me out on a crazy, half-assed mission that will come to nothing, just as long as they know I'll come back."

A pregnant pause stretched on; Naruto's mouth slightly ajar but frozen.

"Isn't that why you left in the first place? To escape." Itachi loosened his hold slightly to slide into the seat next to him.

"Actually," Naruto said as he immediately put his hand up to Itachi's shoulder, steadying Itachi as he settled into the seat, "I left to find you. Everything else was a by-product, a positive side effect."

"So if you were to stay?"

The question hung in the air.

Naruto swallowed and leaned forward onto the counter, his hands clasped tightly in front of him; Itachi laid his palms flat on the counter and remained completely immobile.

'_I'd leave my village behind forever, permanently give up on Sasuke…and devote myself solely to one person. Forever.' _

Naruto pursed his lips to keep the thought to himself. Of course he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Itachi; he left his village to do just that without a second thought. But it was so different when the choice was taken out of his hands. He wouldn't take that. He still had free will. Just because he was a jinchuuriki didn't mean that he was anyone's property. He should be able to return and visit his village at any time, even if it was only that – a visit. Shinobi and civilians alike had dual citizenship all the time.

"I'm going back to Konoha." Naruto turned to Itachi just as the other man straightened up tensely. Taking Itachi's hand before it was withdrawn, he squeezed the stiff appendage and pulled it towards himself. "I want you to come with me."

Itachi withdrew his hand and mustered up the best glared he could with his milky eyes.

"That isn't funny Naruto."

"I'm not trying to be, I just don't want to go by myself." Naruto frowned at the rejection and loss of contact.

Itachi turned his head away. "I can't leave here."

Naruto's jaw tightened. "So then you'll be here when I come back?" he asked, his throat tightening, making his words come out a little strangled.

"Will you?" Itachi still refused to look his way, but his words came out strong and…accusing.

"I plan on it." Naruto slipped from his seat and landed with a soft thump of padded feet on the floor. "I want to talk to Tsunade. See if there's anything I can do to no longer be a full citizen of Konoha, but still be welcomed as a visitor when I want." He turned to Itachi, hoping to see a change in his posture, but was only disappointed to see the man as tense as ever.

"They're not going to let you go." Itachi slid from his seat as well and walked past Naruto to their bedroom. Stopping at the threshold, he tilted his head back towards Naruto. "If you really want to come back you need a different plan." With that, he went through and shut the door behind him with a resounding '_click'. _

Apparently Naruto would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

He knew he needed a more fool-proof plan, one which did not have the council of advisors hounding his every movement, but at the moment he really couldn't think of anything better. And what was he known better for than playing it all by ear?

The next day, Naruto packed his things while Itachi was still "asleep", though they both knew he was only lying in bed with his back to Naruto, refusing to say anything. Even as Naruto slung the pack over his shoulder and stopped at the doorway, Itachi remained immobile.

"I'm coming back." Naruto breathed out and stole himself to take the final step out. "I love you." Still no response; but at this point, Naruto wasn't sure whether he was expecting one. "You'll see."

0.0.0

The trip to Konoha took three weeks; the three worst weeks of his life. With only his thoughts plaguing him constantly with no reprieve, he was gripping his head and shouting into the night by the fifth day. Luckily he was in the middle of nowhere and no rogue ninja were around to attract deadly attention. Unluckily, there were not many places around where he could wash up and replenish his food. But he was a ninja, after all, so he was used to this kind of hard travel.

Still, by the time he reached the gates of Konoha he was strung out, low on supplies, and dragging his dirt-caked sandals through the mud and muck. He rubbed the metal plate of his headband, rubbing more fingerprint smudges across the dirtied insignia. His throat was painfully dry as another coughing fit tore at his throat. Scratching at his stiff clothed chest, he stepped up to the gate so that the two sentries could see him better.

"Uzumaki Naruto, reporting back to Konoha."

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged bemused glances, but waved the blond in.

Nodding his thanks wearily, Naruto slipped through the open doors, which closed seconds after he went through, barely nipping the back of his shirt. Not worrying himself with their little jokes, Naruto hiked his pack further up on his shoulder and closed his eyes, letting the familiar noise of Konoha overwhelm him.

He had missed his home.

A grumble from his stomach immediately answered the many delicious smells wafting his way, but first things first. He had to see Tsunade.

0.0.0

"Um." Shizune looked nervous as she stuck her head inside Tsunade's office, and squinted her eyes as the rays of sun coming in through the windows momentarily blinded her and the little pig in her arms. "Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked up with a raised brow, wondering what it could possibly be this time. What angry villager, cheated merchant, or displeased foreign customer was bothering her now?

"Yes, Shizune?" she asked wearily, putting down her pen and pushing the ink aside. "What is it?"

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune pushed lightly against the door. "Naruto's here to see you."

Tsunade stood up abruptly, both eyebrows far up her forehead now. "Naruto?" She leaned her whole body forward as Shizune pushed the door open the rest of the way. "Brat, get in here."

Naruto slipped past Shizune and stood erect in front of the village leader, a piece of paper gripped between the tips of his fingers, which he thrust in front of Tsunade with a deep grimace.

"Good to see you too brat," Tsunade grumbled as she took the note, but continued to rake her gaze over the young man before her. "Where have you been?"

Naruto smiled. Despite the disheartening circumstances of his departure, thoughts of Itachi were the only thing that kept him going since he left their house three weeks ago.

"I was looking for something," _'someone',_ he corrected in his head.

"And did you find it?" Tsunade asked, slightly bemused as she sat back down in her chair.

Naruto nodded in the affirmative. "I did."

"So…," she led off, waiting for the man to continue to decide whether she would hit him for his carelessness and not keeping contact or hug him because she missed him so much.

"It doesn't matter," Naruto waved his hand, eyes on the letter still carelessly clutched in Tsunade's hand. "The point is that I want to go back, but not at the expense of being ostracized from Konoha."

Tsunade shook her head, completely lost. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto nodded at the paper in her hands, urging her to read.

Looking down, she finally glanced down to the ink scrawled augustly across the sheet, in a handwriting that was hauntingly familiar.

Naruto watched patiently as she read, noting her brow darkening as the seconds ticked by.

After a minute or two of reading it, re-reading it, and re-re-reading it, Tsunade looked up, jaw working up and down furiously, but no words coming out.

Naruto crossed his arms and sunk down into the green fabric chair behind him, waiting for her reaction.

"I –I had no idea they –"

"I figured," Naruto cut right in, not here to watch who pointed fingers at whom. "That's why I came to you for help. I don't want to be a traitor once I leave this village."

"Where are you going to that's so important that you're leaving behind your dreams?" Tsunade decided to ignore the interruption, giving the blond the fact that he was upset.

"We both know this is more than just leaving the village for a few months." Naruto pointedly avoided the question in order to address the issue at hand. "I don't know exactly what they're up to, but I'm not going to play into their hands." Standing up, Naruto swept across the room to stand at the open window and gaze down at the village. "I've decided that if it came down to it, I will leave the village, but I'd like to think I have friends here willing to stick up for me to keep me up in the Fire country." He sent Tsunade a saucy grin, which hardened a moment later; all humour gone.

Tsunade drummed her fingers on the desk and rested her head back into her other hand. "Of course you do gaki, don't be stupid," she muttered. "So why can't you just apply for dual citizenship?"

Naruto scuffed the heel of his sandals against the wall under the window as he turned around to face Tsunade. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and let the high sun warm his back.

"Maybe because I'm not exactly living in a country that recognises me as a legal, contributing citizen." Naruto shrugged and then opened his eyes to gauge Tsunade's reaction.

It wasn't pretty.

Tsunade straightened up and leaned forward menacingly. She was in mother-mode.

"Where are you and what are you doing? If this is something dangerous and out of your league, or worse, illegal, I don't want you taking any part in it." She slammed her fist down and glared bloody holes into Naruto.

Naruto fought a smile, wondering why the legality of his actions was more important than him staying out of danger. Maybe he should see it as a compliment that Tsunade believed he could take care of himself. He shrugged to himself; he would like to think so.

"Naruto," she growled when an answer was not forth coming. "What are you getting into now?"

"Nothing," he answered as truthfully as possible. "Nothing illegal, no mercenary work or rogue ninjas. I haven't been in the field in months, in fact."

"Then what?" She narrowed her eyes even further, not letting him go from her gaze; silently pressing for more information.

"I've been living a quiet life up in a secluded mountain that no one ever goes to. But that's all I'm saying." Naruto cut his hands across the air in front of him; palms open to show that he was closing off any further discussion. "It's not pertinent, just that I've chosen a place to live and would like to remain there. But that doesn't mean I want to leave Konoha forever." He nodded vehemently; he wasn't leaving here until they figured out a plan to fix this.

Tsunade's jaw dropped and her whole face went slack with shock as she went from stern glare to blank-faced confusion within a matter of seconds.

"Want to run that by me again?" She wiggled her fingers towards herself in an inquiring gesture.

Naruto shook his head in the negative but repeated himself anyway. "I'm living far from Konoha, peacefully," he said with a finality that conveyed he would not repeat himself, further supporting his tone by turning back to the window to look down at the people bustling below.

"Uzumaki Naruto living a peaceful, non-danger-filled life," Tsunade whispered into her hand that was now covering her mouth. "What is the world coming to?"

Naruto wasn't really sure how to respond to such a comment, so decided to keep his mouth shut instead. It was true, it went against his character. More to the point, he was running away. Hadn't he promised Jiraiya he would find a way to bring peace to the world? Not lock himself away and live peacefully like a hermit rejecting the rest of the world. But once Itachi "died" things had changed. The rules had changed.

"I didn't –it's not like…" Naruto sighed. "I'm not giving up," he finally said in a hushed tone. "I just came to realise what I want and what I don't want." He covered his eyes with one hand, the other resting on the window sill. "I want to keep helping people, but _not _by becoming Hokage. That dream is no longer mine."

Tsunade swallowed, slightly dumbstruck, but a saddened look of understanding descending into her hazel gaze.

"Naruto," she called gently, opening her arms as the man turned around, letting him fall into them and wrap around him comfortingly. "What's really going on?"

How did she see right through him so easily? Because she knew the signs of heartbreak, indecision, insurmountable responsibility, and burden better than anyone? Or because she knew Naruto like he was her own?

Naruto let his head rest gently on her shoulder as he let forth a few unsteadied, rattled breathing. He wouldn't cry. He hadn't in years and there was no need to. He just needed to get this physical weight out of his body and let someone help carry the load. The person he usually relied upon was absent, and slightly the cause of some of the weight, so Naruto would take what he could get.

Tsunade rubbed his back until he got his breath back and regained his calm.

"I'm not going to say you don't have to tell me if you don't want, because I'm gonna need a damn good explanation for all this."

Naruto chuckled through his nose and finally stood up. Leaning back on the edge of Tsunade's desk, he crossed his arms and looked down at her, face set in a grimace.

"Fine," he consented. "But I raise the right to not answer any questions that could cause harm to others."

Tsunade gave him a quizzical look at that, but decided to wait for later when such a question came up.

"Fine."

Naruto nodded, relaxing his arms a bit as he waited for Tsunade to make the first move.

"When did you decide to leave?" Tsunade asked, folding her hands in her lap and looking straight at Naruto as though he were in an interrogation.

Naruto shook his head. "Now that I can't tell you as I'm not the only one involved."

Tsunade pursed her lips, but didn't push. "But was the choice entirely yours…" she tapered off suggestively, never taking her eyes off of Naruto's.

Naruto bit the corner of his lip and cocked his head to the side. "I suppose the idea wouldn't have come into my head in the first place otherwise. But no, the final decision was mine. I could have fought it, chose to forgotten about it, or something. But I didn't. And I don't regret my choice."

Tsunade nodded, though her lips were tightened into barely recognizable slits.

"Is this other person with you now?" She looked around the room as though expecting Naruto's friend to suddenly pop up any moment.

"No. This person said they could not come." Naruto bowed his head, shaking his bangs in front of his face to cast shadows over his eyes. "I cannot say why, so please don't ask."

"Hmm," Tsunade hummed in thought. "If you had not received this letter from the advisors," she shoved the letter on her desk, "would you have come back?"

Naruto looked up, staring straight into hazel eyes to assure the Hokage that he meant every word.

"Yes."

"Hmph," Tsunade was the one to break the gaze, crossing her arms under her ample chest and snorting approvingly. "Good. Because otherwise I would have tracked your ass down if you were gone more than a year."

Naruto smiled, amused and pleased that he was still loved here.

"So if you're not doing any shinobi work, how are you making money to live?" Tsunade quickly moved onto the next topic before things got too mushy.

"Family money," Naruto said quietly, shifting against the desk uncomfortably. "And a few odd jobs in the village if needed."

"The Namikaze accounts?" Tsunade pressed.

Naruto grunted ambiguously. Yes, he had tapped into those before leaving the village. He would have been a fool not to as only he could open them. But his money wasn't the only family money, obviously.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes suspiciously, knowing there was more to it, but that she wouldn't hear another peep about it from Naruto.

"Fine. One last question."

Naruto looked up, shocked. Only one more? He had expected to be here for hours. Until Shizune came in to drag the Hokage home by the back of her collar, kicking and screaming no doubt.

"Who is this person to you?" Tsunade steadied her gaze, her face natural and completely unreadable even to Naruto. He knew she wanted a real answer. But this was a hard question. Who was Itachi to him? A partner? Best friend? Lover? Confidante? The most amazing man in the world who could make even the straightest man fall head over heels without even realising? A mystery; an enigma? Someone only Naruto will ever truly know? A dead man walking? The most graceful being to ever walk to planet? Mystery and greatness personified like only the gods could do, yet with just enough fault and virtue to be human?

Naruto chuckled. How could he explain all the thoughts racing through his head?

"Everything," He finally decided on. "Everything to me. And I love him."

"Oh." Blonde eyebrows rose high on a pale-skinned forehead and a fine lipsticked mouth widened as far as humanly possible, both vertically and horizontally, caught in a drop-jawed smile. Whether it was the part that Naruto had fallen in love without her knowing and now lived with this person, or the fact that this person was a man that shocked Tsunade more, Naruto didn't know. But he was quite amused by her response all the same.

"Do I know this person?" She said once she had finally stopped trying to catch flies and her face returned to normal.

"I thought you said that was your last question." Naruto grinned, swiftly slipping out of her reach and dashing back to the window as she made a swipe at him. He still remembered how much those hands of hers hurt when used for evil.

"That was before you answered gaki!" She cried, jumping up from her chair and advancing threateningly.

Naruto held his hands out in front of her to placate her while scrambling around for a way to answer.

"I-I said I couldn't say! It's not my place," he cried, pressing himself into the wall and casting sharp glances to the window. Maybe he could make a break for it.

"Oh no, you don't. You don't tell me you're suddenly in love and then not tell me the man's name. It doesn't work like that!" She had him cornered now, a clenched hand raised ominously above her head, ready to strike. "Start talking now. Or else."

"Maa," Naruto rolled his knuckles down his knee, his head bowed down, "who's to say you even know him? What does his name matter?"

"It does," Tsunade clipped, jerking her chair closer to Naruto threateningly, her large chest jostling with the sudden movement and her teeth grinding audibly above the screech of wood over worn carpet. "Tell me."

How had things shifted to Tsunade-baachan having the power, Naruto mused? He had come in here with confidence and a foolproof plan. Stupid hag.

"You better not freak out or anything. 'Cause, 'cause," he bit down harshly on the inside of his lip as he grasped for words that would sound threatening enough without crossing the line too far with his superior. As Naruto's line was already way beyond the average citizens, when he crossed the line between familiarity and inappropriateness there was hell to pay. And he meant hell.

Tsunade crossed her arms tight, the sound of skin squeezing fabric sounding menacing to Naruto as cleared his throat to confess.

"It's Itachi."

Naruto clenched his hands as he waited for a response. Avoiding Tsunade's face, he instead chose to focus on her body language. She uncrossed her arms and laid her hands on the armrests of her chair, seemingly completely relaxed.

"_Uchiha _Itachi?" she whispered.

Naruto nodded, the whisper was too ambiguous to gauge if she was understanding, mad, or beyond furious.

"Isn't he dead," she said carefully, hesitating as though she was walking across glass, creeping slowly with each step.

Oh, Naruto felt his whole body slump down. She thought he had gone crazy. Either that, or he was having it off with a dead body for kicks –which would still fall under him going crazy. Great. Just great.

"No." Naruto shook his head, finally looking up to meet her eyes. "Well," he scratched his head and looked to the side, unable to look at her pitying gaze a moment longer. "Yes, he did _kinda _die. Sasuke killed his body that held all his power, which had to be killed so he could give the power to Sasuke, but the rest of him was safe and…yeah, he's alive," he finished lamely. "But he's not evil!" Naruto quickly clarified, looking back at Tsunade with alarm as the woman gripped the handles of her chair. "I can't tell you why, but he's good. He always had Konoha's best interests in mind."

"Putting aside the Uchiha Massacre, you just said, giving that I believe all this, that he just gave one of Konoha's biggest enemies, Sasuke, unimaginable power."

Naruto raked a sharp canine over his bottom lip and looked up and around the room absentmindedly. "Well, it's Sasuke. His little brother. I think he was hoping Sasuke would chose the higher path once he, you know, found out about Itachi…and stuff."

Tsunade nodded.

"But he still just fueled Konoha and the rest of the five nation's enemy and now you two are camped out in the woods, away from this all."

Naruto's eyes flashed red, his gaze locking back on Tsunade's. He felt the deamon fox pushing at the seal, as he did whenever Naruto got particularly riled up or restless, something that had not happened in ages. The Kyuubi was raring for a fight and Tsunade had just called them on it. Why wasn't he following through on his promise and following Sasuke? Why wasn't he protecting Konoha? Why wasn't he acting the hero who had defeated Pein? Why wasn't he training for his future job as the Hokage? Why wasn't he out in the village, putting smiles on the faces of his friends while everyone was preparing for a war? Why wasn't he being the Naruto everyone counted on?

"I know what I'm doing. And it's my business to do so," he said in a dead monotone; eyes suddenly icy cold and guarded. "I don't have any obligation to this village." His eyes smouldered, glaring at the wall behind the Hokage, directing his glare at the imaginary council in his mind's eye who had sent the letter, not the woman who was an older sister figure to him and was worried for his sanity. Didn't take a genius to know who cared for him and his well-being more.

Naruto buried his face into his hands, all composure and show of strength gone as it all came crumbling down at the same time. He wished Itachi was here.

"I can't choose," his words were muffled by his hands. He dug his finger nails into the skin around his eyes; taking long, labored breaths through his nose. He didn't even look up when he felt a heavy hand rest on his shoulder and start rubbing the tension away.

"It's good to see you, Naruto," Tsunade whispered after a moment.

He blew lightly out of his nose in an attempted laugh of appreciation. Lowering his hands to expose his flushed face, Naruto finally looked up at Tsunade with a look of set resignation.

"So what's been going on?" He asked, straightening back up and letting Tsunade's hand fall back to her side.

Taking it to mean that it was back to business, Tsunade sat back in her chair and gestured to the chair on the other side of her desk for Naruto to sit properly.

"We're on the brink of another possible war with Lightning, due to Team Hawk's little Akatsuki escapade against the Hachibi. Even though the man is safe and sound back in his village, the Raikage isn't about to give this up easily and blames Konoha wholeheartedly. There are rumours of Orochimaru back on the prowl, which makes me think that it's actually Kabuto about to make an appearance soon." Tsunade leaned back in her chair to rub her temple with her forefinger with a sigh. "Madara has Sasuke acting out his little plan like a marionette on strings, none the wiser, and is taking the Akatsuki up to the next step –what's left of them, at least."

Naruto fidgeted in his seat and twisted his fingers together. He had expected some of this, but had to admit that he hadn't really given it much thought since he left.

"Ever since Danzou's death; Sasuke," she clarified dryly at Naruto's startled stare. "The council has been breathing down my neck, trying to monitor my every move and step in wherever they can. Supposedly an alliance among the nations is being worked out, but I'm still waiting to hear back from everyone, especially Lightning. It's been almost half a year; nothing's changed on that end since you left.

"Other than that, the village is still putting itself back together and I've been barely keeping up with my Hokage duties. We," she paused, looking down guiltily. "We haven't been able to find anyone to replace you yet. So the job's –"

"Please," Naruto held up a hand. "Thank you; I know. But I need some time to think. But more importantly," Naruto lifted his eyes to stare at Tsunade, all seriousness and business-like composure returned, "I need the council off my back."

Tsunade bit her lip and leaned back in her chair.

"We need a good excuse as to why you're gone," she muttered and slowly drummed her turquoise manicured fingernails across the desk. "Something that would benefit the village, ideally." Her eyes flicked to Naruto briefly as though sizing him up. "If we could set you up with a sinecure that would be good. But I don't think that would fly with the council. We need something…."she trailed off, eyes wandering blankly around the room.

"A job that would _require _my abilities; that would keep the village out of harm; that should be kept a secret," Naruto finished with a satisfied grin.

"You have an idea," Tsunade stated bluntly, eyebrow raised expectantly. "Do tell."

0.0.0

"Good," Tsunade clapped her hands together; a conspiratorial glint in her teal eyes. "I'll schedule a meeting with the council tomorrow. A _private _meeting. Let's see what they have to say."

Naruto nodded, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. At least this could be one option that would allow him to leave Konoha safely and legally.

"It's getting late," Tsunade broke Naruto's contemplative silence and glanced out the window. "Your apartment was sold months ago." She looked over at Naruto, who appeared to be barely listening to her, as he kept his gaze towards the window. "You can stay with Shizune and me for as long as you need."

Naruto nodded absently. "Thanks."

"We can hold off on the meeting until next week…Give you time to see the village again, your friends, and just think."

Naruto's gaze unconsciously went to Hokage mountain, his father's spiky head filling his mind and eyes.

"Sure," he nodded in a hazed agreement. That sounded nice. "I think I'll pay a visit to my dad first. I'll meet you up later."

Tsunade nodded and waved him off. "Go ahead; I have more paperwork here anyway."

"Thanks." Naruto smiled; eyes clear once again.

A few minutes and a scaled Hokage tower and mountain later, Naruto found himself in his favourite cross-legged position atop the Fourth's head.

"You know," he spoke aloud. "You could have, you know, left some kind of note or something for me. I know the Kyuubi attacked kinda suddenly, but you could've jotted something down or made someone promise they'd tell me my dad was the freakin' Fourth Hokage of this village." Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Naruto surveyed the village before him. The sun was setting slowly just above the tree line out in the distance. "Sorry. I know you didn't know. You probably planned to be a very loving father who took his kid to festivals and let him ride on your shoulder and brought him to work all the time. That would've been cool." He nodded rhythmically. He wanted to stay in that mindset, not recognise the fact that it didn't turn out that way and he had paid the price because of that. "I bet you'd have been someone to go to for advice. So when I fell in love with a dangerous man, banished from the village, you'd sit me down, tell me what I needed to see, and then let me decide. But by that point, the answer would be so obvious it would be like the answer had been in front of me the whole time."

Naruto fell back, hands stretched to the sky, and let his back hit the ground behind him.

"But if, you know, you can like, hear me, I'd appreciate some advice." Naruto waited, eyes scanning the skies for some flash of lightening or sudden apparition in the clouds.

Nothing.

"Well," Naruto snorted dryly, "I guess we're not that close after all, considering we only met once; twice if you count before you died. I understand. I get it."

Naruto allowed his bottom lip to jut out in a pout. He could take a hint. He had to figure this out by himself.

Well, if his dad wasn't going to chime in, then he wanted Itachi. Though, that probably wasn't a good idea. Maybe Tsunade was right. Stay here for a week, go around the village, visit his friends, see if he still fit, still wanted…

The sun had set; he would have to walk by memory out of here until he got back down to the lighted village. But he had never had a problem with that; even slept here several times after particularly trying days. His whole life seemed to be splattered with failure. And now, he was the hero. The one who had defeated Pein, the one expected to take the Hokage position, and the one who had Uchiha Itachi's heart. Once the good things finally happened to him, they all happened at once, that was for sure.

0.0.0

"Tsunade-baachan?" Naruto looked around nervously as he called raspily, not wanting to alert anyone else of his presence. "Shizune-nee?"

Naruto knocked again and tried to look through the warped glass at the top of the door.

"Naruto!" Shizune looked down with a surprised, but please smile on her face to see the young blond at her doorstep. "There you are!" She leaned down and squeezed him on the shoulder. "Where have you been?" She shook her head slowly, seemingly lost in the moment of finally having Naruto back again and not noticing that they were standing outside at night.

Naruto let small smile soften on his face as he sighed. "It's a long story. Not for public ears. Tsunade said I could stay with you guys while I'm here. I hope that's okay."

In answer, Shizune snapped out of her reverie and pulled him inside to the warm home ad shut the door behind him.

"So," Shizune pushed him down by the kitchen table, his legs crumpling beneath him as squatted down. "Tell me what's going on. You were much too serious this morning that I wasn't sure it was the same you." She squinted into his eyes, most likely making sure that she was sure this was _the _Naruto this time, and scrutinized his face. "I know that look; you've got something on your mind."

Naruto placed his hands on the table and knotted his fingers together, keeping his head bowed and eyes fixated on the tan digits.

"I know how to get you to open up," Shizune said; placing a hand on Naruto's back before walking over to the cupboards. "Miso pork still your favourite?"

Naruto's lips twitched. He couldn't help it. Shizune knew his weakness to well.

He nodded at her, showing his grin, and stood up to help her.

Several minutes later, Shizune and Naruto were kneeling back down at the table, each with a bowl of steaming miso pork ramen in front of them.

"So," Shizune began again as she picked up her chopsticks and stirred the noodles in the bowl. "What's on your mind?"

No, 'why are you here', 'are you here to stay', 'where have you been'; just, 'what's on your mind'. Naruto felt extremely grateful to Shizune in that instant and felt the weight in his chest lift.

"It started out with a letter," Naruto twisted the noodles playfully around his chopsticks, not ready to eat just yet. "I was called back to Konoha or else. So I came back here to clear up this stupid mistake and tell them where to stick there's."

Shizune giggled amusedly; Naruto's crude language a welcome familiarity, no doubt.

"But before I left, I got in a fight with –_someone_, who said that I wouldn't come back. And I told him he was wrong and that I would come back and I l-and he was special to me and I told myself the council wouldn't get me and I'll find a way. But what if he's right?" Naruto rounded on Shizune, a crazed worry look in his eyes. "What if I don't know what I want and what if I can't chose my home and what if I can't go back home? And what if I never see him again? What is he going to do without me?"

Shizune took both of Naruto's hands and squeezed them firmly while looking him squarely in the eye.

"The Naruto I know always follows his gut, knows what he wants to do, and sticks with it." She tilted her head forward a bit towards him, cocking an eyebrow in the process. Naruto couldn't help but notice the reflection of the lights overhead off the ramen broth glinting in her eye. "What do you want to do and we'll make sure it happens. Now," she took a deep breath, motioning for him to do the same. "You know what to do when your mind's tying itself into knots with no ends?"

Naruto gave her a weird, confused look with a raised eyebrow. Actually, he would go to Itachi when he wasn't sure about something, didn't understand something, was in a bad mood, or just needed company. So no, without Itachi, he didn't know what to do. Shaking his head in the negative, he told Shizune as much.

"Ramen," she said with such conviction and matter-of-fact that Naruto felt surprise and shock that he hadn't thought of it first.

Looking down at his bowl, Naruto felt the corners of his lips rise slightly and he bent down to take his chopsticks again. Itachi had actually gotten him into sushi. The whole process of cutting all the vegetable, frying the eggs, and all, and then rolling it all together in one delicious piece of seaweed; it was quite methodical. And of course the praise he got from Itachi afterwards, that it was the best sushi's he's ever had, always better than the last batch Naruto made, always worked at lifting his mood and clearing his mind over a good meal. But he wouldn't tell Shizune that, because, after all, ramen still was the key to his heart.

"Ramen," he hummed in pleasure as the noodles slid down his throat, closing his eyes at the pleasure sensation running through his body. How could he have forgotten thee?

"Then we'll set you up in the living room and get you comfy. Though you'll probably want to take a shower first," she said with a laughing smile and picked at the dirt crusted on his shirt with a slight look of disgust.

Naruto smiled sheepishly in return. He could only imagine what he smelled like too; it was amazing Tsunade and Shizune had managed to stay in his presence this long.

"Then," Shizune smiled sweetly again and turned back to her late night snack, "we can discuss all this in the morning." She blew on her noodles lightly, having more of a cat's tongue than a Hoover hole of a mouth and bottomless pit of a stomach like Naruto. "You're welcome to come shopping with me in the morning. I'm sure you want to see all your old friends while you're here."

Naruto nodded in full agreement, suddenly filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing old, familiar faces. With that thought, he started wolfing down the food with renewed vigour.

0.0.0

"C'mon, Naruto," Shizune called from the kitchen the next morning.

Naruto blinked, having already been up for the past few hours, listening to Shizune move around as she got ready. Tsunade had not come home that night, making Naruto feel a little guilty, their reunion must have set her back even further in her paperwork. Then, just to add to the guilt snapping at his mind, he kept replaying his last scene with Itachi in his head, from receiving the letter to walking out the door back to Konoha. Was it even a good idea to come here in the first place? No wonder Itachi was upset, why would Naruto need to sort things out with Konoha? If he was content with Itachi he shouldn't feel the need to return to a village he said he had given up on when he had left it months ago. Itachi probably thought Naruto was having second thoughts about being with him. Itachi really did think Naruto wasn't going to return. Naruto's frown deepened and he dug his nails into the blue blanket thrown over his still form.

"Naruto," Shizune called again, her voice getting louder as she started coming towards him. "I'm leaving soon, so if you want breakfast, come out now."

Naruto twitched his nose as though jerking away from a fly. He did appreciate Shizune's hospitality and offer to help him fix everything, but now he realised that he needed to fix this himself. Yes, he still wanted to be able to visit his friends when he pleased, there were some things he couldn't leave behind; but, that didn't mean that he wanted to stay here forever. He knew his place was back with Itachi, so once he got a half-citizenship in Konoha, he would leave. That would make it easier to keep in contact with Tsunade, keep track of all the politics, and stay up-to-date on news of Sasuke. He hadn't seen hide nor tail of his sort-of-best friend since the vision through Itachi's eyes.

"Naruto?" Shizune stuck her head around the corner and smiled at seeing he was awake. "Good, you're up. Are you coming?"

Naruto turned and lifted his upper body onto his forearms. "You can go ahead," he said as he slipped on a sheepish smile, "I over slept; sorry. I'll meet up with you later."

"Okay," Shizune frowned and leaned into the room to scrutinize him with a stern stare. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah." Naruto pulled the grin higher. "I'm fine. I don't want to hold you back. I'll get ready and then go find Sakura or Kakashi or someone."

Shizune nodded, seemingly satisfied. "That's good. If you need me, I'll be in the market place or at the Tower."

Naruto nodded, his eyes half-crescent slits, bringing the look all the way up his face to reassure the young woman.

Once she left and he heard the door close with a definite snap, Naruto rolled back on his back and sat up to begin his morning stretches. It felt so good to be able to move his body without the feeling of dried dirt halting his movements.

A few minutes later saw him redressed and eating a quick egg roll and soup Shizune had kindly left out for him. If he had known what it was like living with parents, someone to take care of you, make your meals while you got ready, and left out your clothes for the next day, then he would probably feel like he was back at home. But all the same, even without having had that experience, he was pretty sure this is what it must feel like. Itachi would probably know better. But he would have to keep that question in the back of his mind for later because right now, while he was still in Konoha, he wanted to say hey to his friends. Now, who would be the easiest to find?

Kakashi.

Sure enough, the white-haired man was standing in front of the memorial stone, auspicious orange book tucked firmly in his pocket as he gazed down at two names in particular for the longest moment, before scanning the rest of the stone to revisit the other familiar spots.

It wasn't until Naruto had come up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the man that Kakashi finally turned his head in Naruto's direction, single eye relaxing in a familiar 'U' shape.

"Naruto!" Kakashi ruffled the younger man's hair and slung him in a one-armed hug. "I was wondering when I'd see your cheery face again. Ramen hasn't been the same without you."

Naruto pulled out of the hug and pushed at the man's shoulder good naturedly. "I know, but try to save the tears for later. I can't help being a popular guy." Naruto shrugged theatrically at holding such a burden and leaned his weight on Kakashi.

Kakashi pushed back in jest as well, righting the young man on his feet once more.

"So what's become of the young Namikaze heir?" Kakashi took a step forward and gestured for Naruto to follow. "You save us from the big bag monster that was Pein and then vanish a few months later. Some people thought you'd abandoned us. Others thought the council had gotten jealous and banished you or some other gossip I've heard along my travels."

Naruto snorted. He was still getting lost along the path of life apparently. Nothing had changed after all.

"I decided that becoming Hokage wasn't my dream after all," he said with a shrug, following his sensei step for step. "I was called elsewhere and followed."

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the weird visions you were having shortly before you left, would it?"

_Damn._ He knew he shouldn't have told Kakashi about those in the first place.

"Hn," Naruto jerked his shoulders up noncommittally.

"So your leaving wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the certain person you were dreaming about, now would it?"

Naruto pursed his lips, buttoning them tight to keep himself from giving anything away.

"Ah," the fabric around Kakashi's mouth twitched as the man grinned in unabashed glee at getting to embarrass his student the first moment he got. "Thought so." Kakashi dug out his little orange book then and proceeded to return to his page. "I'm also guessing you haven't told anyone else that Uchiha Itachi is alive."

Slowly closing his eyes in defeat, Naruto internally groaned and mentally slammed his forehead into his hand. Trust Kakashi to put the pieces together with such small material to start with. Well, he supposed he could skip beating around the bush then.

"Only baa-chan," Naruto begrudgingly admitted. "She threatened it out of me, smiling with sadistic glee. I think Anko and Ibiki gave her a few free lessons while I was gone."

"Oh," Kakashi sang out of tune, rubbing his knuckles together as one hand gripped his precious book. Apparently Naruto had only confirmed his suspicions. Great. "This is going to be good. I hope you have a perfectly good explanation for living with a mass murderer and enemy to Konoha; I don't want to waste my morning, now."

"Of course not," Naruto shook his head. "What could be worse than missing quality time for porn?"

Kakashi nodded his head in agreed; eyes wide, scandalized at the thought. "I know."

0.0.0

続く

0.0.0

_And there's part one. More to come in a bit; I would love to know what you think. _

_So, who thinks they know what's going to happen next? I'm curious. _

_Thanks! And happy summer! _


	2. When Home is Closer and Farther Away Tha

Well, a sequel. Who saw this coming? I certainly didn't.

So if you haven't read _**I Know a Young Ninja**_, I would advise you to do so. Otherwise this might not make sense. I promise it's worth your time.

Of course, this is for Bea! Another loving dedication to _**Imperial Mint;**_ for all intents and purposes, she owns this story, and the idea for this plot. I figure it's only fair. Though what I own is still much better, but that's a given.

0.0.0

Also, I want to thank my chapteriser –the same person this is dedicated to, but that just means I wanted her to read it first as it belongs to her. ;) So thank you my dear!

_So, without further ado, please read on and enjoy! _

_**After the Nursery Rhyme Ends**_

0.0.0

_When Home is Closer and Farther Away Than You Think _

0.0.0

It seemed nothing could really faze the great Copy Cat Ninja –except threatening to tell him the end of his favourite porn series. Even after Naruto told him of what he knew of Uchiha Madara, his role in the Kyuubi attack 18 years ago, Uchiha Itachi's story, and Naruto's long and complicated journey to the infamous Mangekyou user, Kakashi didn't even blink his eye. Naruto had a feeling he was already familiar with part of the story and the rest was just filling in even more pieces Kakashi had already lined up. Still, Naruto couldn't help but be a little disappointed that even telling Kakashi that Uchiha Itachi was innocent and had left part of himself in Naruto after he "died" by Sasuke's hand, which lead Naruto to find and live with him, his sensei didn't even have the decency to look shocked.

"I see." Kakashi lifted one eye to sky and rubbed his chin. "That would explain a lot." Kakashi reached for the book in his pocket, letting Naruto know that they were back to shooting the breeze. Well, at least his book wasn't out while Naruto told the story –that had to count for something.

Still!

Naruto held back a pout. He was a grown ninja after all; he could take disappointment like a man.

"I thought it was pretty interesting," Naruto grumbled towards the ground, Kakashi no doubt heard, but chose to ignore Naruto's little childish antics.

"But what it doesn't explain," Kakashi breezed right over what could have been an awkward silence, "is why you're back here; alone."

"You don't know I'm –" Naruto started to protest; how could Kakashi be the one surprising _him_ again?

"I do," Kakashi cut him off and tapped his eye knowingly. "Trouble in paradise?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, but it was only halfhearted. "Sort of."

"Mm," Kakashi rolled the syllable in his mouth as his eye began scanning the pages of his small green book again.

Naruto took that as a cue to continue. He knew Kakashi was listening and as alert as ever.

"I got a letter from the council a week ago telling me that I better get home now or I would be labeled as an enemy ninja. And _he,_" Naruto stressed, as to not draw suspicion to the name in the case of well-hidden eavesdroppers, as well as Naruto not wanting to say the name at the moment either –he was still mad and hurt after all! "He wouldn't come with me to sort this all out. Which is fine, I guess. He's supposed to be dead. But then he got all mad at me and basically said he didn't expect me to return. That Konoha would brainwash me and keep me prisoner and I would never want to come home to him!" Naruto threw his hands in the air in frustration and huffed through his nose like a bull ready to charge.

Kakashi chuckled. "He said all that?"

Naruto glared intermittently at the book and then Kakashi, and then the book. He wasn't sure which to be madder at. Not to mention Jiraiya was partially responsible for this as well, wherever he was, lounging in the afterlife right now.

"Not in so many words," Naruto finally admitted. "But basically!"

Kakashi continued to chuckle. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna fix this problem with the council and then go back home," Naruto said with conviction.

"Where's home?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, sound forming in his throat. But it went nowhere. That was the question he had been asking himself for over a week. Home was with Itachi. Home was also where he grew up. Home was with his friends and surrogate family. Home was where he felt comfortable and loved. So what do you do when home is more than one place?

Naruto shrugged. "Here." He pointed directly in front of him where he and Kakashi were talking; where he first became an official ninja. "There." He pointed out into the distance in the woods, the area he assumed his and Itachi's house in the mountains was. "Everywhere," he said with a distinct question in his voice as he gestured all around him: behind him to the village and his friends, beyond the woods covering more than just his and Itachi's mountains, and back to the immediate vicinity of him and Kakashi.

"Nowhere?" He shrugged again. His voice rose in pitch as the stress piled on with each insurmountable concept of home and where Naruto belonged.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded his head in understanding, a mock sympathetic look in his eye. "I see."

Naruto glared at the man. "You're not helping."

"Well," Kakashi straightened up and started looking around. "It's been great, but birds don't chase themselves."

And with that, he was gone.

Naruto had long ago given up on trying to make sense of Kakashi's nonsensical messages. So, he opted to forget about the scarecrow for a bit and go find his other friends. They must have missed him something terrible; he was the life of the party after all.

Hopefully Sakura wouldn't hit him too hard, especially since he had left without properly saying goodbye.

0.0.0

"Itai!" Naruto rubbed his head, a bruise was surely forming as the few tears leaked out of his eyes from the sudden onset pain. "Sakura-chan!"

"Don't you dare 'Sakura-chan' me!" Naruto heard the screechy voice of his good friend through the black haze still swimming around his head. The next thing he knew, he was being suffocated in a giant bear hug by two steel arms locked around his torso. "Gods Naruto! Where have you been?"

Naruto gasped for air to answer her –and to survive –but it just wasn't forthcoming.

"Let him go, forehead!" Ino's demanding voice broke through the both of them, making Sakura let go and step back, allowing Naruto to breathe again.

His lips quirked into a quick, relieved smile. "Thanks Ino."

"Don't think you're just getting off that easy." Ino crossed her arms and started tapping her foot impatiently. "I had to deal with forehead for months after you left. Now you're suddenly back and expect no retribution? I don't think so!" She grabbed him by his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Where were you and why did you leave?" She shook him back and forth with particular force.

"So troublesome," Shikamaru dragged his teammate away by the back of her collar. "Give the kid a second. He's not going to answer straight with you breathing fire down his face."

Ino rounded on Shika, prepared to berate the boy until he went away, when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Shika's right, Ino," Sakura sighed and then turned back to Naruto with a glare. "But it had better be good."

"It is!" Naruto assured, putting his hands out in a placating manner. "Ow!" He cried again as Sakura hit him upside the head a second time for good measure.

"I have to say, I'm interested to hear this too," Chouji joined the group, running a hand through his thick main of hair as he stared at Naruto. "You hurt Sakura, you hurt Ino, which means you hurt me and Shikamaru," he nudged his best friend as he said so, silently asking for agreement.

"Exactly," Shikamaru drawled out.

Naruto rolled his head back; things just weren't going his way it seemed. So much for a friendly welcome.

"Anyone else mad at me?" He asked just for the heck of it.

"Well I'm none too pleased with you myself, but more for Gaara's sake than anything. Don't know you all too well to be particularly upset over you."

There was Temari, blunt as ever. Wait. What was she doing here? Naruto looked up to see her with her arms crossed over her chest and giving him the stare down. Right in front of her, Shikamaru. Of course.

Oh, Gaara. He hadn't even sent word to him before leaving. Oops.

"Is he here?" Naruto asked, hoping against unlikely odds that he could see his other friend as well.

"Sorry," she said, though she didn't sound all that sorry. "Only me. Gaara's back home. You should see him while you're here." She gave him another stern look, apparently that wasn't a suggestion. "Unless a little three-day trip is too much for you, too."

Naruto nodded hastily in consent. He would find a way to make it to Suna somehow; Temari was not someone you wanted as an enemy.

"Plus, not everyone's here," Sakura added, still on his question of who else was upset with him. 'Lucky' for him, he had stumbled on Ino and Sakura along the way coming out of the barbeque restaurant, Shika and Chouji not far behind, with Temari joining the group a second later. Geeze, these people were coming out of the woodwork like ants! He wouldn't be surprised if –

"Naruto?" A soft, shocked voice broke through his inner-rant, effectively finishing his sentence for him.

"Oh my God dude! It _is _you!" Kiba's voice rang loudest of all as the brunet came running up to slap a hand down on Naruto's back. "I thought you were dead for sure!"

Naruto smirked humourlessly. "Thanks; good to know you have such faith in me."

"You never know what's out there." Naruto felt his heart jump a foot in the air, out of his chest as the last member of Team 8 suddenly appeared out of nowhere right behind Naruto. He quickly turned to fully face the dark-haired Aburame, who continued to speak into the collar of his coat in his atypical monotone voice. "Even seasoned shinobi run into the inexplicable and unavoidable all the time. Anyone can die out there, it's part of the lifestyle we signed up for."

Everyone quieted after Shino's little "pep talk". Or maybe it was supposed to be an encouraging speech to Naruto, telling him not to worry about Kiba's lack of faith? In any case, whenever Shino talked –the few handfuls of times in his life –it was usually very odd. Or scary.

"Right," Naruto drew out the word with a slow nod. "Thanks for that Shino. It's good to see you too." Not that they were good friends really, but Naruto always made sure to stay on the bug-boy's good side, for obvious reasons.

"I –I missed you Naruto." Hinata finally made her presence known, standing demurely beside Kiba with her hands clasped in front of her, looking right at Naruto, or at least at his face.

Naruto smiled at the girl, a true, genuine smile. At least someone could say so without hurting him.

"Are –are you back from a long mission?"

Right, the kicker. Why _was_ he gone and what were his plans now?

Raking his nails over the back of his head nervously, Naruto chuckled sheepishly as he looked around at his expectant group of friends. "Yeah, something like that."

"Something?" Sakura cracked her knuckles. "Like…"she trailed off suggestively, threateningly.

Damn, why hadn't he come up with an excuse _before _looking for them? Itachi would be so laughing at him right now.

"Naruto. I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon."

It seemed one of the last few people of Naruto's group had finally decided to make an entrance.

"It was inevitable that you would come back eventually." Neji came up to stand behind his cousin, extending a small smile and bow to Naruto. "It's good to see you again, my friend."

Naruto returned the smile and bow, deciding he liked the Hyuuga clan the best. "You too Neji," he said with full sincerity. "I missed all your talk of fate and belief that everything will work out according to plan." Maybe Neji was the person he needed to be talking to about his problem. He'd help Naruto set everything right.

"Neji? Where have you gone to my formidable, youthful friend?" Lee's voice carried across the street and through the throng of villagers until he joined their group. "There you are, my youthful companion. I see we have some sort of gathering going on. For what are we meeting about –Naruto!" Lee finally landed on the "new" face of the group and made a beeline to the boy, tackling him into a hug. "Naruto! Oh, Naruto! How we have missed you. My little pink flower has been besides herself with worry over you. It was making me jealous, I admit," he dropped his head on Naruto's shoulder, bawling, at the reminder. "But now you are here!" He bounced back up, happy again. "I knew you would return. I told Sakura it was only a matter of time and –"

"Lee! Who are you bothering no—Naruto?" Ten Ten, the last member of the 12, finally joined the fray. "Get off him, Lee," she cried, wrenching Lee from Naruto to free the boy. "Let 'im breathe." As soon as she said that, she proceeded to give him a tight squeeze of her own, throwing her arms around his neck for a moment to let him know that she was glad to see him as well.

"Uh," Naruto laughed nervously as he returned the hug a bit awkwardly; he didn't know Ten Ten all that well either, but he had to admit, he had been missing everyone after a few months being away from them all. "Thanks Ten Ten," he said as they parted.

He turned back to the rest of the group, seeing as they had now stepped back and created a circle around him; he wasn't going anywhere without a good explanation to his long absence.

"Well," Naruto continued to scratch at the back of his head, avoiding both accusing and loving glances, sometimes together. "It's great to see everyone." He chuckled nervously. "You're part of the reason I came back."

Eyes started to narrow. '_The reason he came back?' _

That's right. He had only said anything to Sakura before he left, letting her know that he needed a break a few days prior and leaving it at that.

"Weren't you just on a long mission or something, Na-Naruto?" Hinata voiced the group's uncertainty with hesitance.

"Yeah, I mean," Kiba looked at the rest of his team for help, "We heard rumors you got kicked out and stuff, but that's all they were, rumors, right?"

Sakura cracked her knuckles again and rubbed them against her collar slowly, methodically. "Why _did_ you leave Naruto?"

"I took a leave of absence from Tsunade. Heh," he kicked pebble with his toe and braved looking up at them all, "I decided becoming the next Hokage wasn't my dream anymore." He shrugged. "And I needed to –"

"What!" Ino screeched; jaws dropped; eyes widened; and two smirks formed.

"I –I know it's kinda sudden and all, but I really have thought a lot about this and it just –" Naruto surrendered to the outraged babble that was drowning out his words.

"Dude, you've always wanted to be Hokage! It's your destiny, or whatever shit Neji talks about all the time." Kiba continued to swear like a sailor, obscenities being the best his shocked mind could come up with at the moment.

"Are you on something Naruto? Are you feeling okay?" Naruto felt a hand press against his forehead, feeling for a high fever. He was pretty sure it was Ten Ten, but he couldn't be certain.

"They've brain washed you, haven't they?" Lee cried. "Oh all that is good and youthful in spring! What have they done to you Naruto?"

"Who?"

"Will you shut up, Lee?"

"Did I miss something before? What is he on about?"

The words all seemed to mesh together into one annoying drone. Naruto wondered if he was still the center of attention or just the topic of attention. Maybe he could sneak out and deal with them later, one at a time.

A vice grip captured his arm as Naruto started attempting his escape. It had been short lived.

"Oh no you don't," Sakura growled, pushing him further into the ground until Naruto was sure his feet were becoming a permanent fixture to the cobblestone. "Naruto," her tone softened and she looked down at the dust now covering his feet from her forceful pushing, looking almost as though she was stealing herself to do something. "Tsunade-taishou told me a month after you left, but I thought…I thought it must be some kind of mistake," she looked back up at him imploringly. "Hokage has always been your dream, since before I can remember, why are you suddenly giving up on it?"

The rest of the group had quieted down to silence as they saw Sakura and Naruto so close, but Naruto didn't really notice.

Swallowing, Naruto relaxed in her now weaker grip and looked solely at Sakura. To think, he had loved her once. He had thought of marrying her one day and proudly displaying her on his arm as he stood over the village, his village, from the Hokage tower. But those were silly dreams of a boy who was no more attracted to Sakura than he was to the idea of being with the most popular, beautiful girl of their year, just as Sakura had been attracted to Sasuke.

"Dreams change Sakura," he finally said, realising that he was speaking for more than just his change of heart about becoming Hokage. "People change. I guess I just woke up and realised there was something else out there for me. So I went to find it."

Her grip tightened again, but not in anger. "What about Sasuke?" She whispered fiercely, afraid the others would hear that she still hadn't gotten over her crush and teammate. "You…You haven't given up on him as well…right?"

Naruto sighed. He had told Itachi he had, once upon a time. And then he was no longer so sure. Sasuke was still his best friend, as sick as it all was. Naruto still hadn't gotten over the fact that Sasuke had killed Itachi and was still running around with Madara under the impression that he was victorious. But it just showed how much help Sasuke did need if he was still with Madara, the twisted, orange-masked psychopath.

"No," Naruto shook his head in defeat, "I haven't. That's also part of the reason I'm back."

"But where were you?" Sakura looked a bit more placated than before, knowing Naruto had not yet given up on Sasuke. Despite her numerous apologies and pleas for Naruto to do just that and forget about his promise to her, when it came down to it, she still _felt_ weak, mentally, and she wanted Team Seven to be whole again.

But she still wanted answers. Her team kept falling apart on her and she demanded to know why.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said.

"You say a lot of things we never believe; never stopped you from saying them before," Kiba butted in, ever the tactless one. "Like that time you said you fought off a giant snake single-handedly, or the time you said you took on 20 missing nin at once with your hands ties behind your back, or the –"

"Okay, we get it Kiba," Naruto growled, his free hand, not in Sakura's grip, slamming over Kiba's mouth. "I tend to exaggerate a bit."

"A bit?" Kiba broke free, outraged.

"Whatever!" Naruto shoved him away. "Does it really matter right now? 'Sides," Naruto grumbled, "It's not like you don't do the same thing."

"Oh I –"

"Boys!" Sakura jerked Naruto away from Kiba as Shino reined Kiba in via a tug to his shoulder. "Honestly, you two are like animals."

"He's the dog," Naruto growled, belying his own words with the carnal sound.

Sakura growled in turn, quieting him with a smoldering glare. That woman was just plain scary, Naruto thought, as he half mumbled to himself about how his stories weren't all that crazy; he did do that stuff! Kiba was just jealous.

"Naruto," Sakura yelled, tugging on his ear harshly to get her point across. "Naruto!"

"What! Ow! Stop hurting me!" Naruto cried, moving away from her pain-inflicting hands and rubbing his abused ear.

"You still haven't told us where you were," Sakura insisted.

"I was, I was." Naruto frantically searched the faces of all his friends. Who would understand? Who would believe him? "Living out on my own. Up in the mountains."

"And we wouldn't believe that?" Neji deadpanned. Naruto could just tell the raven was amused by his answer through just looking at the tilt of his lips and the soft glint in his eye, let alone the sarcastic tone in his voice. "What about that is incredibly unbelievable? Or am I missing something?"

"There's nothing wrong with needing a break Naruto," Sakura whispered quietly. "We wouldn't think any less of you. After losing Jiraiya, defeating Pein, and everything, I'm surprised you didn't take a break earlier than this."

Naruto bit his bottom lip; she didn't even know the half of it, but that was beside the point because this was _not _the direction he had wanted the conversation to take. But what could he say to contradict her? In a way, she was right. He had needed a break and after all that had taken place, the political chair of Hokage had lost its appealing charm. He needed to make a difference and achieve the peace he had promised both Jiraiya and Nagato, but becoming Hokage no longer seemed the way to do that. And maybe he had gotten off track with Itachi, or maybe Itachi was just the kick in the pants he needed to get him going in the right direction. Naruto wasn't sure yet, but he now realised that he needed to figure this all out before he returned to his peaceful life with Itachi.

"Thanks Sakura-chan," he admitted.

"Oh," Sakura crooned, forgoing her threatening grasp to envelop him in a hug. "You're maturing right before my eyes; where did the annoying little boy who used to chase me around and shout all the time go?"

"Sakura-chaaan," Naruto whined. "You're squeezing too hard."

"Oh shut up and let me hug you," Sakura reproached, bonking him on the head lightly to keep him quiet.

"Awww, Sakura and Naruto!" Several voices sang out teasingly, Kiba and Ino's the most prominent of the bunch. "How cute!"

Sakura just glared over Naruto's shoulder, not perturbed in the least. Naruto just rolled his eyes, wondering if Itachi would be in the least bit jealous or just amused. Naruto snorted, Itachi seemed to be constantly pervading his mind.

"Ooh," the group catcalled and jeered. "Trouble in paradise?" They asked, mistaking Naruto's snort for one of amusement at their "witty" comment. Unfortunately, their comment only served to bring Kakashi's voice back into his head, along with their entire conversation from before. And, of course, Itachi. Great, he thought sarcastically, just what he needed.

Not in the mood to deal with people in general anymore, Naruto casually flicked them the bird behind Sakura's back.

"You guys are immature idiots," Sakura stuck out her tongue as she let go of Naruto. "C'mon Naruto, let's leave these losers to their games; I want you all to myself now."

"Aaawww!" Now it was only Kiba and Ino making jests, the others recognizing and backing down from a hidden threat from Sakura when they saw one. That girl could punch through a stone wall, after all.

"We'll be going then," Ten Ten said with nervous humour and smiled at Naruto. "It's great to see you back Naruto," she said sincerely as she dragged her two teammates away.

"Yeah, we really missed you buddy," Kiba slapped his friend on the back, finally getting the hint to walk away. "Glad you didn't become some crazy recluse and stay up in that mountain."

"Konoha's not the same without you," Hinata agreed with a bowed head and tiniest of blush showing at the visible tips of her ears. "We should go," she said hurriedly, the embarrassment reflecting in the high pitch of her voice.

"Ye-yeah. I'll see you later Hinata. Uh, you guys too!" Naruto called, rubbing the back of his head and twirling his fingers messily, tying his hair in small knots. His mind was knotted, his stomach was knotted, his life was knotted, and now his hair was knotted. It seemed to be a theme of his lately and it was mind-bogglingly frustrating. It was enough that he was torn between Itachi and Konoha, but for his friends to make such a big deal and assert the fact made it that much worse.

"Ya know, I –" Naruto tried copping out with Sakura, figuring it was better to get away from everyone for the moment than hear what else they had to say that would only serve to make his choice even harder. But Sakura beat him to the punch.

"Right, we'll see them later Naruto," she grabbed his hand and started walking away. "When did you get back –you better say late last night or something because you know you're in big trouble otherwise." She tugged harder on his hand, but before he could answer and explain his visit to Tsunade, she was already on the next question. "And where have you really been these past months, and don't say the mountains. I mean, where did you come up with something like that? You must have been in a village or something, right? Who were you with? What were you doing?"

The '20 Questions' had already begun. Naruto really should have been a bit more forceful in his attempted escape. Now he was being brought God-knows-where to be interrogated until God-knows-when.

"Cut the grimace, Naruto." Sakura caught the tentative look in his eyes and tightened her clutch on his hand. "I haven't seen you for months. No explanation. No messages. No nothing. I should be kicking your ass right about now, but instead I'm taking you out for some ramen. Consider yourself lucky." She poked a finger into his face, shaking her fist ominously. "Come with me now before I change my mind and decide to beat you up."

"Did you say ramen?" Naruto was lost after the magic word. _Ramen_. What was that again? Did he remember what it even tasted like? Did it still exist?

"Naruto? Naaaaruto. Naruto!" Sakura waved her hand in front of his face, getting more and more impatient by the second. "Naruto!"

A slap across his face brought him back to reality.

"Ramen!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes Naruto, _ramen_," she agreed exasperatedly.

That was all he needed to take the lead himself and make his way to Ichiraku's.

0.0.0

"So how'd it go?" Shizune asked as Naruto met up with her on the sidewalk on her way home. Grabbing some bags from her full arms, Naruto fell in step as they made their way to Shizune and Tsunade's house.

"Fine, I guess. It was great to see everyone!" Naruto exclaimed with somewhat false enthusiasm. "Of course everyone missed me like crazy, but what can you expect?"

Shizune titled her head to the side and observed Naruto coolly as he combed his fingers through his hair with his free hand that wasn't holding bags, and gave him a small smile. "But?"

Naruto sighed, showing defeat in that one simple gesture. He looked down and played with the hem of his shirt, which was tapered in orange flames, the only bit of colour on his black and grey wardrobe today. "Sakura questioned me 20 ways to next Tuesday and I know she could tell I wasn't entirely truthful with her. Ugh," he sighed, grasping the plastic packages tighter with a newfound vengeance. "This is all so complicated."

"I'm guessing this has something to do with this mysterious person you won't name. Hm?" She sounded more amused than anything, though not without some sympathy at his predicament.

"Grgh," Naruto grumbled in the back of his throat ambiguously.

"Here," Shizune shoved a few more bags into Naruto's arms in order to rummage through her handbag for the keys. "Tsunade's still at the office, but she should be home for dinner in a couple hours." She pushed the door open and allowed Naruto to enter first; taking some of the bags off before he dropped them once he began walking. "You want to help with make a simple domburi?"

Naruto shrugged in consent, placing the bags on the counter and beginning to help Shizune unload them. He felt a flash of déjà vu, like he was back home with Itachi unloading the groceries after receiving the letter from Konoha threatening to declare him a missing nin. What was that, over three weeks ago now?

"I met a few people at the market and then at the tower, organizing Lady Tsunade's meetings, and I happened to tell a few people about your return." Shizune took it upon herself to start the conversation as she and Naruto unloaded the food. "Tsunade thought it would be a good idea to get the word out that you were back, let the gossip settle and then all should return to normal." She smiled cheerfully as if that was all there was to it. "I know we didn't ask you first, but Lady Tsunade said it was all part of the big plan." Shizune smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing. You don't mind, do you?"

Naruto shrugged. He supposed not. It was one way to find out soon whether their idea would sink or swim. It would lay it all out on the table and they could see where the chips fell.

"Good," Shizune smiled approvingly. "I know this will all work out Naruto; I can just feel it." Shuffling to the other side of the kitchen, she pushed back her sleeves, winding the tie around her shoulders to secure the fabric of her yukata behind her back and out of the way. With more room to move, she opened the refrigerator and began to fetch all the ingredients they would need for dinner.

Naruto shrugged. He didn't know what _she_ was feeling, but he had an uncomfortable churning sensation in his stomach that hadn't gone away since he left home to go…home. Stupid lack of adequate words to describe what he wanted to say.

"Can you get the rice cooker in the cabinet over there?" Shizune pointed with her foot as she reached up above her head to get the dashi from the top cupboard. Once she had the bottle safely in her grasp, she brought it down to the counter and turned to Naruto, who was setting the rice maker on the side counter. "Can you cook, Naruto?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed questioningly. "Not to be rude," she hastened to add in response to the look of indignation Naruto was given her. "I know you lived alone, but I just thought, uh. Ramen." She summed all her assumptions up in one word. Just that one familiar utterance had Naruto smiling in nostalgia and adoration.

"Yeah, ramen," he agreed congenially, "But yes, I can cook. I've been cooking a lot more these past few months than ever before." He felt confident in saying so too; cooking had been a skill he had recently picked up through living with Itachi. Before, he had been only concerned with cooking for himself. What did he care if he had ramen every night?

Sure Kakashi used to come over once in a while, bringing vegetables and good fish and meats that he used to force Naruto to cook. And even when Naruto over cooked a meal or forgot to add the salt, Kakashi would still eat it and smile at Naruto in that mysterious way of his, silently pleased that Naruto was at least eating healthy. But other than that, Naruto really didn't eat much more than he could cook in the microwave or quickly reheat. However, when he moved in with Itachi, learning to live with his best friend's brother who he used to be afraid of and thought of as a cold-blooded killer wasn't the only thing he had to get used to. He also learned to cook, for two people.

Shizune just smiled and started cleaning the chicken in the sink.

They moved around the kitchen quietly, not speaking but concentrating on making the food to perfection. Naruto was more than used to this. Once in a while he would deign to talk to himself while cooking alone, but that was because he just needed to hear some kind of sound in his empty apartment. Then, when he moved in with Itachi, he quickly learned that the man wouldn't say more than three words while cooking. And when he did, it was only to make sure Naruto was doing everything right. When he first started teaching Naruto how to cook, Itachi had emphasised that one was supposed to focus on the food, nothing else. It appeared that Shizune felt the same. Not having ever cooked or had dinner with a family before, Naruto could only assume that such silence was natural and expected.

By the time Tsunade came home, Naruto and Shizune were setting the table and just putting the tea on.

"Tadaima," Tsunade called from the foyer, toeing off her shoes and hanging her cloak by the door. "Hey gaki, you here?"

"Present and cooking your dinner," he called from the kitchen, placing the tea pot and cups on the tray.

"Oh great," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear, "I guess that means I won't be going into work tomorrow on account of food poisoning."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort just as childishly, when Shizune gently but firmly tugged the tea tray out of his hands and set it down on the table. "Naruto was a _wonderful _help in the kitchen," she said with finality. And that was that.

Tsunade's smirk deepened a little at Shizune cutting Naruto off, meaning she won by default of course.

"Old hag," Naruto muttered under his breath as he went to sit down past Tsunade.

"Why you –"

"Sit!" Shizune pushed her hand, palm down, through the air, like Tsunade was a dog needing to be trained. And she sat.

"Now Naruto and I spent a few good hours on this dinner." She looked at Tsunade and then Naruto pointedly. "So we will sit and enjoy it. No arguing or childish name calling. Or we won't speak at all."

Now it was Naruto's turn to smile. Shizune sure set the rules down here. Why wasn't she the Hokage but only the assistant?

No doubt hearing what was going on in his head, Tsunade sent him a simmering glare that had him looking down and picking up his chopsticks in seconds.

"Itadakimasu," the group said in unison. And then they dug in, reaching over to take a piece of seaweed here, a mango there. And once their plates were full, the conversation started.

"I'm not sure if Shizune's told you, Naruto," Tsunade began, picking at her avocado in her tuna roll. "But I've started to spread the news of your return."

Naruto fiddled with his chopsticks absently, still chewing the food around in his mouth. Once he swallowed, he answered. "Yes, she told me." He nodded. Tsunade raised both her eyebrows suggestively, prodding him to say more. Naruto just shrugged. "Won't take long now that Sakura knows, anyway." Naruto snorted, half fondly amused and half scared for his life.

"But what do you think about this?" Tsunade asked. It was true the situation was basically out of his hands, but he could mold the results to his liking, like putty in his hands, if he so chose to take action.

Naruto shrugged. "I think it's best if we get a sense of what the village thinks first before meeting with the three old bats and the rest of the Council. Give us a sense of whether they'd back me up or not. We'll know where to hit 'em hard and hit 'em low." He mock punched at the air in front of him with a serious, no-nonsense smirk.

Tsunade stirred her soup between two manicured fingers and regarded him silently.

Shizune looked at the two, a curious yet knowing look on her face. There was a lazy and heavy pregnant pause before she spoke up, breaking it.

"So how was it, seeing all your friends, Naruto?" She smiled at Naruto, resting her chin over her folded hands, eager to hear what he had to share.

Naruto smiled automatically, the fake kind that only Itachi and sometimes Sakura could identify as so. "It was great. Everyone's really great. It was great to see them. Just," Naruto scanned the room around him out of the corner of his eye, reaching a hand to rub the back of his neck in a semi-stretch movement, and trying to grasp for the right words. "Great."

Naruto curled his fingers around his spoon as he looked to his soup. He hadn't exactly lost his appetite, he just no longer felt like being here, at the dinner table, eating. Tsunade must have sensed so because she jumped right back into the conversation, forcing more information out of him.

"What did you tell them?" Naruto could only guess she meant his friends asking about where he had been for half a year.

"Nothing. Mission. I said I'd tell them more later." Naruto shrugged with a half-smirk that lifted one corner of his lips in an almost grimace. "I figured once we talk more about what we're going to tell the Council…" he tapered off, letting her fill in the blanks.

"I called a meeting for three days from now." Tsunade curled her hand around her bicep and squeezed. She poked her tongue out and licked her lips quickly, watching Naruto closely, waiting for a response.

"That's good." Naruto nodded. He didn't know what Tsunade was expecting, but he wanted to get this meeting over and done with. He'd had a bad feeling in his stomach ever since he first got the letter, how could he not be anxious to finally find some closure from all this? Either it would all go according to plan and they would allow him to keep his citizenship, or it would all go up in smoke and he would be kicked out for good. The latter he wasn't particularly hoping for, but at least he would know once and for all. Worst case scenario, they would try to capture him and keep him prisoner in the village, as Itachi had predicted. But, _'try'_ being the operative word, he knew they wouldn't keep him for long. In any case, with this meeting it was all out of his hands.

Now Naruto was torn. This conversation had drawn out the very last of his energy for the day. He could feel his eyelids drooping with the smallest thought of bed and warm blankets. But the guilt kept him sitting down and finishing his meal with his two favourite women. Though he didn't want to think of it as such, he didn't know how many more of these dinners he would have. He should at least make an effort to hold a decent conversation and make the most of his time with them.

Smiling politely, Naruto turned to Shizune. "How was your day?"

Shizune took the bait, smiling back and began to relate her day to him. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him briefly, but took his tired look for what it was and decided to turn to the conversation Shizune was holding.

Lucky for Naruto, he didn't have to say much after that aside from agreeing to random comments and spurring on the conversation further with more questions. Tsunade stayed off his back as well for the remainder of the night, no doubt she was worn out from the day too. Naruto twisted his napkin in his lap and ran his other hand under the table, feeling out all the whorls and splinters in the wood as the sky quickly darkened outside. He didn't even touch the fruit on his plate as the meal came to a close, too drained to even put in the effort anymore, which was picked up on by Shizune. She stood with an amused smile and brought both blonds' full attention to her.

"If you two don't mind cleaning up, Naruto I'll go set up a proper futon for you," Shizune said as she started gathering the dishes back to the kitchen.

Naruto nodded and stood up to stretch, unabashedly cracking the kinks in his back as he twisted his torso this way and that. "Sure thing, Shizune-nee." He saluted with a smile and bent down again to collect a few dishes as well.

"That means you too Tsunade," Shizune called back, reprimanding, as the older blonde tried to sneak away while both backs were turned.

"Shizuneeee," Tsunade groaned low in her throat so that only Naruto could actually hear, and did her part to clean the rest from the table.

Shizune dumped her armful into the sink and turned commandingly to the two blonds coming through the doorway. "I want this place spotless by the time I return. _Both _of you." She gave them each the matronly eye with her hands fisted on her hips before turning away to set up Naruto's bedding for the night.

"I'll wash, you dry." Naruto smiled and handed Tsunade a towel; rolling up his sleeves, he dove his hands into the sink and began washing the first piece of silverware –a spoon.

They washed in silence, a comfortable one. Having spent long hours with Tsunade before he left, going through Hokage training, this felt more familiar to him than anything he had encountered here so far. Not Sakura interrogating him to death, or his friends swarming up on him and demanding answers, or even Shizune taking care of him, putting him up, and cooking with him. These things only served to make him feel more like a visitor, a traveler passing through Konoha, but nothing more.

Not that he could blame them. What did he expect would happen when he suddenly returned after half a year of being "nowhere"? His apartment was sold, he was under threat of the Council, and he had successfully alienated all those close to him either through his abrupt departure or the air he was giving off from his uncertainty of where his home lay. What did he _really _expect? He was lucky they were all still talking to him.

Naruto heaved a sigh and slumped into the counter, his hip hitting the rim of the sink violently. He expected to see a bruise there in an hour and then Kyuubi would heal it by the next day.

"I know it's not easy right now." Tsunade put down the hand towel and slumped against the counter as well. "Being here and yet not being here." She shrugged when he gave her a baffled, incredulous look. "I know the feeling," was all she offered.

"Konoha was and is my home too. Even when I was on the road all those years after Minato and Kushina died."

Naruto stood stock still, eyes fixed on Tsunade's downcast ones; he wanted to hear more. Anything to do with his parents he wanted more of. So few people were ever willing to share much of anything about them at all, especially not to Naruto. But how could they do such a thing, when that's all any orphan kid wants to hear –that their parents were amazing, and loved by all, and real heroes that everyone looked up to?

"They were one of a kind," Tsunade continued in an awed, nostalgic tone. "One a spit-fire red and the other a bolt of lightning; both trouble makers." She smiled sweetly at the memories of them. "They really were the heart and soul of the village. When they sacrificed themselves for you it seemed like the whole village had lost its light. Of course the Kyuubi attack did more than enough to exacerbate that, but even after the houses were rebuilt, family members buried, honours bestowed, and a calmness restored with the Third taking up the Seat again, it was still missing something."

Naruto shuffled uncomfortably, squeezing the fabric on his arms. He knew he should feel unconditional love at the knowledge that both his parents had sacrificed themselves so that he could live, and believed in him enough to seal the Kyuubi inside him and protect the village. But the guilt still gnawed at him, fighting any feelings of contentment he might find. The hatred tended to overpower when it was all you heard growing up.

"Naruto." Naruto looked up, cut from his self-loathing session, to see that Tsunade still had that far-away look in her eye. But she seemed to know what was going on all the same. "Your parents loved you very much. You should feel nothing but pride and happiness from that, no matter what other people tell you."

His grip on his jacket loosened, hands slipping down from his forearms to finally rest limply at his sides.

"I don't blame you." Tsunade shook her head, bangs covering her eyes. "They made the right choice."

Naruto swallowed and breathed out a sigh of relief he hadn't known he'd been holding. A burden he hadn't even been aware of just lifted off his shoulders, and he felt happy. Unmistakably happy. It was the oddest feeling, comparable to the first time he saw Itachi in person, waiting for him up on the mountain. This feeling reached just as deep, touching him with a sense of content familiarity, like a profound experience of déjà vu. He swallowed again and touched his heart with his fist, a smile blooming on his face. It meant a lot to him to be absolved like that by someone who knew his parents, loved them very much, and also knew him and loved him just as much.

"And though I knew that even then," Tsunade continued, still bowing her head to give Naruto the privacy of a moment, "I still had to leave. I was actually on a mission at the time of the attack and came back too late. And even though I know there was probably nothing I could do to stop it, I still curse myself for not being there. For not being Kushina's midwife (whoooooop!) when she was delivering. I should have been there," she growled, pounding her fist into the wood. Cracks splintered out from under her knuckles, which were bleeding in small rivulets down her hand and onto the wood.

"I couldn't stay there anymore." Tsunade shook her head and took a deep, calming breath. It seemed to do the trick because, a second later, she gingerly lifted her hand from the counter and wiped the blood away with the hand towel. "I had vowed I would never return to Konoha until the Fourth came back." At that, she chuckled, an amused, tight-lipped smirk spreading across her face. "Imagine my surprise when my own impossible stipulations were thrown back in my face when some snot-nosed runt learns the Fourth's infamous jutsu in a matter of days?"

She turned to Naruto finally, amusement still there, coupled with the unconditional love she had spoken of before.

"You had returned. Just not in the way I had been expecting."

Naruto swallowed again, finding nothing in his mouth left to swallow and ended up clearing his throat instead.

"But what I'm trying to say is, I know what you're going through." She sighed, running a manicured hand through her hair, pushing back her bangs, only for them to fall across her face again when her hand had passed on to tug at one of her ponytails. "You may have dragged me back and made me Hokage, but I still felt like an outsider to the village. It was weird seeing everything I knew and loved, some old, some new; familiar faces, both friendly and unfriendly. But I was looking for something, all that time, that I knew I wouldn't find. Until," she paused and turned to him again with a smile. "Until I saw you out there, defending the village from Pein and the Akatsuki with such fierce loyalty and determination. And then I realised what it really means to defend a village and to defend a home. All my precious people were right here, but I had been too blind to see that. Always looking for the dead and the past when the living were always right in front of me." She sniffed, bringing a hand to her nose to try and keep the tears at bay.

Naruto blinked. He wasn't sure what shocked him more, that Tsunade had felt so isolated for that long since she returned or that he was the reason she finally felt at home again.

"So I don't want you feeling like that; thinking you're unwelcome or alienated from the rest of us. Because you're not." She reached over until they were effectively nose to nose. "Everyone here loves you; this will all I work out because of that very fact. This idea that you're all alone in the world," she reached up with a finger, and Naruto felt instant déjà vu of Itachi doing that very same gesture to Sasuke all his life. But instead of flicking him in the forehead, as he expected, she instead tapped the length of her forefinger on his nose. "It's all in your head," she whispered. And with a wink, she turned around and disappeared around the corner.

Naruto stood there, by the sink, for what felt like hours after Tsunade had left. His head felt light and he wasn't sure if he could feel any part of his body at the moment. Was she right? Was he really making all of this up? He knew people did love him, but had they really accepted him back already, and so easily too? And what about Itachi? Surely him being angry at Naruto was not all in Naruto's head. Was it?

Licking his lips and deciding this was another problem to tackle for another day, he blinked himself back to the present and looked around. The kitchen was spotless, completely clean for Shizune's inspection. So he figured she wouldn't mind if he just headed to bed for the night. Tomorrow maybe he would accompany her wherever she went around town, or maybe he would check in on his friends again, check up on the gossip of the town and find out what they thought of his homecoming. Tsunade would want him to spend these next three days productively, after all.

0.0.0

"It's all over the village, Naruto," Sakura said in an unnecessarily hushed tone, like anyone could hear them over the hustle and bustle of the hospital noises. Nurses were running in every direction, doctors were barking out directions to the orderlies following in their wake, and machinery was going off in every direction –not the EKG monitors, mind you. Naruto had chosen to spend his day with Sakura and this is where he had ended up –making the rounds with her at her work.

"Aren't you listening?" She demanded, giving his arm that she had in her inhumanely strong hold a violent tug. "I'm trying to tell you that everyone knows you're back. Like it happened over night!" She exclaimed, wonder in her eyes at how gossip could spread that quickly. Which was odd, as she knew better firsthand than anyone else, what with what used to go on between her and Ino, not to mention how fast gossip about Sasuke used to spread in mere minutes –most of it utterly untrue and stupid. Honestly, why would Sasuke ever think that long hair was pretty or milk chocolate with nuts was the best birthday present ever? It still baffled Naruto, and Sasuke too, as Naruto found out the few times Sasuke confided in him.

But Naruto held his tongue on that point and just nodded, agreeing with Sakura. He didn't want to think about Sasuke again. He had his own problems to deal with first. Right? Why did that still make him sound so selfish then?

"And what are they saying?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible, hoping not to incur any suspicions from Sakura. She already knew too much as it was. Those hundred-some antagonizing questions yesterday had come at a price to Naruto.

"They want to know where you've been and why you're suddenly back."

She wheedled her way right into that one so slyly, didn't she? Naruto thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei told me some pretty good theories of where I was." Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and titled his head up to look casually at the ceiling. "I'm sure he wasn't the only one." He smiled and winked at her, trying to keep the mood light and direct it away from the serious question.

"That's not funny, Naruto," Sakura stopped and placed her hands on her hips. "You said you were taking a vacation to get your head together. That you'd tell me more later." Sakura turned her head away, disguising the motion for what it really was, a chance to hide her face from him, with a sweep of her fingers, brushing back a length of hair behind her ear. "Then after you leave I find out that you stepped down as Tsunade's successor. What was I supposed to think? It didn't look like you were coming back at all." Sakura dropped her hands to her side helplessly, vulnerably. "I couldn't believe you would do something like that. After all we went through with Sasuke; I thought you would be the last person to do that to me. And now," her voice rose with a punch of indignation. "You just come back, showing up out of nowhere like it was nothing. How can I not be curious?"

"Sakura," Naruto reached forward to grab his friend's hand, but she was too quick for him.

"No, Naruto. Not right now." She shied away and began walking again. "You don't know what you put me through. Or actually, you should know. Which is why I can't fathom what was going on in your head at the time. Even now." She turned a sad eye to him and waited for his answer, emerald green irises boring a hole into his skull, rooting him to the spot. "You're so," She pressed her lips together furiously, trying to find the right words to finish her sentence. "So different." She gestured up and down to his entire person. "Changed. And I can't figure out why."

Naruto sighed. She was right, he hadn't thought everything through when he had left. That was kind of the point at the time. To finally do something for himself and not have to worry about what a hundred other people would think of him or how they depended on him to be there. He had just wanted to go and all the consequences be damned. How foolish and immature he had been.

"Can we go somewhere private?" He asked, turning to her in defeat, arms raised in a peace gesture.

Sakura looked at him, saying nothing for another good few moments, before nodding her head and leading him off to one of the doctors' private lounges.

"This is the neurologists' ward, but they don't come in here often," Sakura assured as she closed the door behind them and motioned to the comfy, though slightly dilapidated looking couch in the corner. Naruto sank into it immediately and gathered his knees up to his chest, leaning back and letting his weight push him further into the soft pleather.

"So," Sakura sat next to him sideways, her body facing him and her hand propping her head up against the back. She reached over and took one of his hands in hers and squeezed. "Tell me."

So Naruto relayed the story again for the third time in three days. Starting from what he knew of the attack from Kyuubi, Uchiha Madara's part, Itachi's innocence, and Naruto's own part in keeping the elder Uchiha alive. Then, of course, Naruto's epic journey of figuring this all out and finally finding the ex-criminal in the most unlikely of places. Well, unlikely if you were going by Uchiha Itachi's known reputation in the ninja world, but quite predictable if you knew the real Itachi.

Finally, he ended with how he had been living with Itachi ever since and "taking care" of the now-blind Sharingan user. He told his story all the way up to receiving the letter from the Council and Itachi's reaction to his leaving.

"And now I don't know what to do," he shrugged, feeling insurmountable relief at finally being able to tell someone that. He had been skirting around the issue and hinting to it here and there, but to actually admit it to a friend lifted another huge weight off his chest. "And I'm sorry what I put you through, it was –". Whatever he was going to say was cut off by Sakura lunging over the little space between them and squeezing the life out of him.

"Oh Naruto, why didn't you say anything? I could have helped, you baka!" She pressed her face into his shoulder, but he could still hear the tears leaking through her voice. "Why do you men insist to keep everything inside and let it all build up when you're too stupid to know how to help yourself in the first place?"

Naruto smiled despite the insult aimed directly at him and his gender. Sakura was always right, no matter what.

"You big goof," Sakura leaned back and reached up to ruffle his hair affectionately, tears gleaming in her eyes and spilling down the creases in her cheeks that gave way to a brilliant smile. "You never have to choose where your home is." She sent him an exasperated look, reserved solely for him in all his moments of stupidity. "Home is where your loved ones are, wherever they may be. Even if your thousands of miles apart. You'll fix this whole thing with the council and then go back to Itachi," she whispered the name conspiratorially as though it made any difference after Naruto had just blabbed top secret information for the whole room to hear. "And you'll know you always have a place back here as well. And you _will _visit us. On pain of death," she said with grit teeth, eyes ablaze with that threatening promise.

"Problem solved," she finished with a shrug, personality instantly switching back to the caring, sweet-natured young woman in a blink of an eye. "This is why you should always be honest with me and not get all anti-social like that. You think I don't notice?" She cocked her head to the side like an owner scolding their dog for stealing from the garbage right in front of her, yet again.

"No, Sakura-chan, I guess not," Naruto admitted, feeling thoroughly scolded and loved at the same time. And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't going to be as simple as she made it sound. Sakura didn't really know the Council and the ways it worked to get what it wanted –all for the good of the village, of course. But it seemed to Naruto that too many people ended up hurt and on the losing side as a result of this greater good of Konoha.

"Now," Sakura patted his knee before standing up and stretching. "My break is long over, I should get back to work before Mezumi-sensei comes after me. But we'll go out after I finish for the day, okay?" She smiled expectantly.

Maybe Tsunade was right, it was all in his head.

"Right," Naruto nodded, smiling. He watched her walk out the door, content with the way everything had turned out.

"_Trouble in paradise?" _Kakashi's words suddenly surfaced in his mind, echoing in the quiet room. Naruto shook his head. Where did that come from? What even made him think of that? Naruto shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and scanned a wary eye around the room.

Nothing seemed out of place; he was still alone.

The clock on the wall ticked away silently, showing that it was half past eleven. He still had daylight hours to burn before Sakura got off. And while she was an excellent friend and reliable source for gossip –at least one side of it – he wanted to hear the talk on the streets himself.

Lifting himself reluctantly from the comfortable sofa, Naruto lopped to the door, starting his little expedition to the heart of the village.

0.0.0

_Thank you to everyone who has gotten this far. I'm glad you're reading and I hope you're enjoying the story. Your support is great and I love hearing from everyone. _

_Also, I want to thank _Hesunohana_ for your reviews, all your reviews actually. I was really touched. Thank you very much. Though, I'm not sure what OS stands for. Could you please enlighten me? _

_Finally, a shout out to _Narya Vilya _for all her awesomeness and great reviews –she is one of the reviewers I love so. And, here is the promised chapter I said was coming to you soon. Though, no, it's not over yet, sorry. Still more story to come. But I hope you enjoyed all the same. _

_And lastly, just to share, the song that gets stuck in my head towards the end of reading/ writing this chapter is 3 A.M by Matchbox 20. What about you? _

_Bea's –apparently – Fire with Fire by the Scissor Sisters. Good choice! (Listening to it now.) _

_Oh, and again, thank you to my lovely beta. You are always soooo very appreciated and showered with love. I am in the middle of the next chapter already just for you to read! BULB! ^^ _


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